﻿THE 
  SHAKE 
  RELIGION 
  OF 
  PUGET 
  SOUND. 
  

  

  By 
  T. 
  T. 
  Waterman. 
  

  

  [With 
  2 
  plates. 
  1 
  

  

  A 
  discussion 
  of 
  the 
  Indian 
  groups 
  about 
  Puget 
  Sound 
  would 
  not 
  be 
  

   complete 
  without 
  a 
  mention 
  of 
  their 
  present 
  form 
  of 
  religion. 
  It 
  

   consists 
  of 
  a 
  curious 
  sort 
  of 
  Christianity, 
  with 
  a 
  liberal 
  admixture 
  

   of 
  the 
  primitive 
  religion 
  of 
  this 
  area. 
  It 
  is 
  called 
  the 
  Shake 
  Religion 
  

   or 
  Shaker 
  Religion, 
  because 
  the 
  believers 
  are 
  visited 
  by 
  shaking 
  or 
  

   quivering 
  spells. 
  Invented 
  about 
  1881, 
  this 
  religion 
  is 
  still 
  flourish- 
  

   ing 
  and 
  spreading 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  time. 
  The 
  presence 
  of 
  the 
  " 
  shak- 
  

   ing 
  " 
  phenomena 
  demands 
  explanation, 
  since 
  there 
  are 
  analogous 
  

   elements 
  in 
  other 
  religious 
  movements. 
  The 
  question 
  at 
  once 
  arises, 
  

   as 
  to 
  whence 
  they 
  derived 
  this 
  practice. 
  Shakerism 
  is 
  at 
  present 
  the 
  

   most 
  important 
  fact 
  in 
  the 
  life 
  of 
  these 
  people. 
  

  

  It 
  may 
  well 
  be 
  explained 
  that 
  there 
  are 
  in 
  America 
  two 
  religious 
  

   groups 
  going 
  by 
  the 
  name 
  " 
  Shakers." 
  One 
  is 
  a 
  Christian 
  group, 
  

   small 
  in 
  numbers 
  but 
  somewhat 
  widely 
  distributed 
  in 
  the 
  Eastern 
  

   States, 
  who 
  are 
  called 
  " 
  Shakers 
  " 
  for 
  convenience, 
  their 
  self-chosen 
  

   name 
  being 
  Believers 
  in 
  Christ's 
  Second 
  Coming. 
  Their 
  theology 
  

   seems 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  a 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  orthodox 
  Christian 
  sort, 
  the 
  sect 
  having 
  

   originated 
  in 
  England 
  in 
  1772. 
  They 
  practice 
  dancing, 
  however, 
  as 
  a 
  

   religious 
  observance, 
  and 
  hold 
  to 
  the 
  principle 
  of 
  celibacy, 
  which 
  is 
  

   followed 
  by 
  the 
  entire 
  body 
  of 
  believers 
  without 
  exception. 
  Among 
  

   converts 
  to 
  this 
  form 
  of 
  belief 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  marrying 
  or 
  giving 
  in 
  

   marriage. 
  They 
  moreover 
  carry 
  out 
  remorselessly 
  the 
  idea 
  of 
  com- 
  

   munity 
  in 
  property. 
  It 
  is 
  obvious, 
  I 
  think, 
  that 
  doctrines 
  such 
  as 
  

   these 
  will 
  not 
  have 
  any 
  widespread 
  vogue 
  for 
  some 
  time 
  to 
  come. 
  

   The 
  fame 
  of 
  the 
  group, 
  however, 
  and 
  their 
  nickname, 
  " 
  Shaker," 
  

   has 
  spread 
  abroad 
  quite 
  widely. 
  

  

  Another 
  group 
  of 
  people, 
  a 
  group 
  many 
  thousand 
  miles 
  away 
  and 
  

   of 
  an 
  entirely 
  different 
  character, 
  has 
  meanwhile 
  arisen, 
  and 
  have 
  

   also 
  had 
  thrust 
  upon 
  them 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  " 
  Shakers." 
  This 
  second 
  

   group 
  is 
  made 
  up 
  of 
  the 
  native 
  Indians 
  living 
  in 
  the 
  region 
  of 
  Puget 
  

   Sound. 
  In 
  1881, 
  or 
  1882, 
  they 
  invented 
  for 
  themselves 
  a 
  " 
  new 
  " 
  form 
  

   of 
  religion. 
  This 
  system 
  of 
  belief 
  has 
  had 
  a 
  checkered 
  and 
  interest- 
  

   ing 
  career, 
  and 
  its 
  followers 
  now 
  number 
  thousands, 
  and 
  are 
  organ- 
  

  

  499 
  

  

  